How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

Electronics Links
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I’m currently dealing with this on a micro micro level as I am selling T-shirts into the EU. I can only imagine what it’s like with added regulation selling boards into the space. What a headache.

we support the idea of reducing waste and promoting sustainability. But there’s got to be a better, simpler, and fairer way to do it.

This regulation is having a massive effect on the entire ecosystem of micro-businesses, not just makers. It affects artists who sell their creations online. Local traditional food producers who export their products across the EU. It also affects craftspeople who sell their work online through their own website or dedicated platforms like Etsy. Beyond the small world of makers and DIY electronics, this will have an impact on the livelihood of potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the EU.

That’s well put. Waste from packaging is an externality that has a cost, but incoherent policy across the trading zone makes it extra burdensome to small providers.

Highly recommend the above article

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Ha, thanks for sharing that article. As a small maker I felt frustrated by this too. I was disappointed by the fact that it requires the seller to register to private organisms at each country, when on the contrary EU was able to setup a unique platform to declare and remit VAT collected for sales in all other countries. I’m glad to hear that there are some proposed changes, will look into those deeper.